Crown Holdings Reports Second Quarter 2008 Results

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

PHILADELPHIA, July 16, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Crown Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCK) today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2008.

Second Quarter Highlights

  • Net Sales grew 10.4% to $2,196 million
  • Gross Profit improved 23.1% to $352 million
  • Segment income rose 28.0% to $247 million
  • Earnings per diluted share increased 13.0% to $0.61

Commenting on the results, John W. Conway, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Our overall performance in the quarter was excellent. In Europe, beverage can volumes rose 9% over last year's second quarter, driven by a 25% increase in our fast growing Middle East markets. Our beverage can volumes in Asia grew 8% reflecting the addition of our new manufacturing plant in Cambodia and the second production line in our Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam facility. Volumes in our European Food Can business were up 4% reflecting more favorable weather conditions compared to 2007. Our North American plants benefited from improved mix to maintain segment income that is comparable to last year's second quarter. Equally important, our operating efficiencies and productivity continued to improve worldwide driven by increased capacity utilization to meet demand and by the dedication of our associates. With two strong quarters behind us and our current view of the balance of the year, 2008 is shaping up to be outstanding for the Company."

Second Quarter Results

Net sales in the second quarter rose to $2,196 million, up 10.4% over the $1,990 million in the second quarter of 2007. The increase was primarily due to $139 million from foreign currency translation, the pass-through of higher raw material costs in the form of higher selling prices and sales unit volume growth in beverage and food cans. Approximately 74% of net sales were generated outside the U.S. in the second quarter of 2008 compared to 71% in the second quarter of 2007.

Gross profit in the second quarter grew 23.1% to $352 million over the $286 million in the 2007 second quarter. As a percentage of net sales, gross profit expanded 160 basis points to 16.0% in the second quarter from 14.4% in the second quarter last year. Growth in beverage and food can sales unit volumes, ongoing efficiency improvements and $22 million from foreign currency translation primarily drove the improvement.

Selling and administrative expense in the second quarter was $105 million compared to $93 million in last year's second quarter. The increase primarily reflects foreign currency translation of $7 million.

Segment income (a non-GAAP measure defined by the Company as gross profit less selling and administrative expense) grew to $247 million in the second quarter, up 28.0% over the $193 million in the 2007 second quarter. Foreign currency translation increased segment income by $15 million in the second quarter of 2008 compared to the same period last year. Segment income as a percentage of net sales expanded by 150 basis points to 11.2% in the second quarter compared to 9.7% in the second quarter last year.

"During the quarter we announced the construction of a new beverage can plant on our existing food can manufacturing site in Casablanca, Morocco that is expected to be operational late next year. At the same time, the Company and its licensees also reached a significant milestone relating to sustainability and resource minimization efforts by selling the 150 billionth patented, lightweight SuperEnd(R) beverage can end which since 2001 has saved thousands of tons of aluminum, coatings and greenhouse gases," Mr. Conway noted.

"We are also quite proud that the creativity of our design experts and our leading technologies were recognized in the quarter. Crown received seven prestigious Starpack Awards from The Institute of Packaging for distinctive design, shaping and convenience technologies created to drive marketing goals for products as diverse as pet food, coffee, biscuits, garden shears, lubricants and protectants," Mr. Conway added.

During the second quarter of 2008, the Company recorded a pre-tax gain on sale of assets of $2 million and a pre-tax charge of $1 million for restructuring actions. There was no net after-tax impact on earnings per diluted share as the net after-tax amount of these items was negligible.

Interest expense in the second quarter was $79 million compared to $77 million in the second quarter of 2007. The increase reflects $5 million of foreign currency translation partially offset by lower average debt outstanding.

The provision for income taxes in the second quarter of 2008 was $42 million, an effective tax rate of 24.9% compared to $22 million, or a 16.7% effective rate, in the same 2007 period. The increase in the effective tax rate is primarily due to the release of U.S. deferred tax valuation allowances in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Net income in the second quarter improved 8.8% to $99 million compared to $91 million in the second quarter of 2007. Earnings per diluted share in the second quarter grew 13% to $0.61 over the $0.54 in the 2007 second quarter.

Included within net income in the 2007 second quarter, the Company recorded a net gain of $4 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, reflecting a net gain of $8 million related to gain on sale of assets offset by a net loss of $4 million related to restructuring actions.

Six Month Results

For the first six months of 2008, net sales grew 9.6% to $4.1 billion over the $3.7 billion in the first six months of 2007. The increase reflects foreign currency translation of $258 million, the pass-through of higher raw material costs in the form of higher selling prices and sales unit volume growth in beverage cans.

Gross profit for the six month period improved 21.4% to $608 million, or 15.0% of net sales, compared to $501 million, or 13.5% of net sales in the first six months of 2007. The improvement was driven by beverage can sales unit volume growth, increased operating efficiencies and foreign currency translation of $37 million.

Selling and administrative expense for the six month period ended June 30, 2008 was $207 million compared to $188 million for the same 2007 period and reflects $13 million of foreign currency translation.

Segment income in the first half of 2008 grew 28.1% to $401 million over the $313 million in the first six months of 2007. Foreign currency translation increased segment income by $24 million in the first six months of 2008 compared to 2007. Segment income as a percentage of net sales improved to 9.9% in the first six months of 2008 compared to 8.5% for the same period last year.

For the first six months of 2008, interest expense was $156 million compared to $153 million for the same period last year. The increase reflects foreign currency translation of $9 million partially offset by the impact of lower average debt outstanding.

The provision for income taxes for the six month period ended June 30, 2008 was $68 million compared to $40 million in the first half of 2007. For the first half of 2008, the effective tax rate increased to 28.0% from 22.2% in 2007 due to the release of the U.S. deferred tax valuation allowance in 2007.

Net income for the first six months of 2008 increased 15.6% to $126 million, compared to net income of $109 million, for the same period in 2007. Earnings per diluted share for the first six months of 2008 rose 18.5% to $0.77 compared to $0.65 in the first half of last year. For the six month period ended June 30, 2008, there were 3,896,097 (2.3%) fewer weighted average diluted common shares outstanding than in the same 2007 period.

During the first half of 2008 the Company recorded a net charge of $2 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, for restructuring, gain on sale of assets and loss from early extinguishments of debt. During the first six months of 2007, the Company recorded a net gain of $4 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, reflecting a net gain of $8 million related to gain on sale of assets offset by a net loss of $4 million related to restructuring actions.

Debt and cash amounts were:

                               June 30, December 31,    June 30, December 31,
                                  2008        2007         2007         2006

    Total debt                  $3,799      $3,437       $3,701       $3,541
    Cash                           311         457          304          407
    Net debt                    $3,488      $2,980       $3,397       $3,134

    Receivables
     securitization               $279        $272         $262         $240


Non-GAAP Measures

Segment income, free cash flow and net debt are not defined terms under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (non-GAAP measures). Non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net income, cash flow or total debt data prepared in accordance with GAAP and may not be comparable to calculations of similarly titled measures by other companies.

The Company views segment income and free cash flow as the principal measures of performance of its operations and for the allocation of resources. The Company believes net debt is a useful measure of the Company's debt levels. Segment income, free cash flow and net debt are derived from the Company's Consolidated Statements of Operations and Cash Flows and Consolidated Balance Sheets, respectively, and reconciliations to segment income, free cash flow and net debt can be found within this release.

Conference Call

The Company will hold a conference call tomorrow, July 17, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. (EDT) to discuss this news release. Forward-looking and other material information may be discussed on the conference call. The dial-in numbers for the conference call are (517) 308-9457 or toll-free (888) 820-8951 and the access password is "packaging." A live web cast of the call will be made available to the public on the Internet at the Company's Web site. A replay of the conference call will be available for a one-week period ending at midnight on July 24. The telephone numbers for the replay are (203) 369-0267 or toll free (866) 373-4987 and the access passcode is 25987.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical information, all other information in this press release consists of forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause the statements made in this press release or the actual results of operations or financial condition of the Company to differ include the Company's ability to grow its business in the Middle East (including through a new beverage can plant announced for Casablanca, Morocco), generate operating efficiencies and productivity improvements, successfully introduce new products such as environmentally responsible packaging and achieve the Company's performance targets for the balance of the year. Other important factors are discussed under the caption "Forward-Looking Statements" in the Company's Form 10-K Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2007 and in subsequent filings made prior to or after the date hereof. The Company does not intend to review or revise any particular forward-looking statement in light of future events.

Crown Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is a leading supplier of packaging products to consumer marketing companies around the world. World headquarters are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

For more information, contact:
Timothy J. Donahue, Senior Vice President - Finance, (215) 698-5088, or
Ed Bisno, Bisno Communications, (212) 717-7578.

Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Operations, Statements of Cash Flows, Balance Sheets and Segment Information follow this page.

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

(in millions, except share and per share data)

                                      Three Months Ended     Six Months Ended
                                            June 30,              June 30,
                                         2008     2007         2008     2007
    Net sales                          $2,196   $1,990       $4,059   $3,703

    Cost of products sold               1,788    1,647        3,342    3,090
    Depreciation and amortization          56       57          109      112
    Gross profit (1)                      352      286          608      501
    Selling and administrative expense    105       93          207      188
    Provision for restructuring             1        5            1        5
    Gain on sale of assets                 (2)     (10)          (2)     (10)
    Loss from early extinguishments of
     debt                                                         2
    Interest expense                       79       77          156      153
    Interest income                        (2)      (4)          (5)      (7)
    Translation and foreign exchange
     adjustments                            2       (7)           6       (8)
    Income before income taxes, minority
     interests and equity earnings        169      132          243      180
    Provision for income taxes             42       22           68       40
    Minority interests and equity
     earnings                             (28)     (19)         (49)     (31)
    Net income                            $99      $91         $126     $109
    Income per average common share:
      Basic                             $0.62    $0.56        $0.79    $0.67
      Diluted                           $0.61    $0.54        $0.77    $0.65

    Weighted average common
     shares outstanding:
      Basic                159,631,670  162,900,139  159,409,493  162,588,529
      Diluted              163,298,467  167,182,198  163,037,370  166,933,467
    Actual common shares
     outstanding           160,868,424  164,140,218  160,868,424  164,140,218


(1) A reconciliation from gross profit to segment income is found on the following page.

Consolidated Supplemental Financial Data (Unaudited) (in millions)

Reconciliation from Gross Profit to Segment Income

The Company views segment income, as defined below, as a principal measure of performance of its operations and for the allocation of resources. Segment income is defined by the Company as gross profit less selling and administrative expense. A reconciliation from gross profit to segment income for the three and six months ended June 30 follows:

                                   Three Months Ended       Six Months Ended
                                        June 30,                June 30,
                                     2008        2007        2008       2007
    Gross profit                     $352        $286        $608       $501
    Selling and administrative
     expense                          105          93         207        188
    Segment income                   $247        $193        $401       $313



                                              Segment Information
                                   Three Months Ended      Six Months Ended
                                        June 30,               June 30,
    Net Sales                         2008      2007       2008       2007

    Americas Beverage                 $501      $488       $918       $881
    North America Food                 220       210        405        401
    European Beverage                  476       401        824        682
    European Food                      557       469      1,045        915
    European Specialty Packaging       125       112        230        209
      Total reportable segments      1,879     1,680      3,422      3,088
    Non-reportable segments            317       310        637        615
      Total net sales               $2,196    $1,990     $4,059     $3,703


    Segment Income

    Americas Beverage                  $58       $57       $100        $94

    North America Food                  20        20         31         30
    European Beverage                   88        58        139         88
    European Food                       61        45        102         83
    European Specialty Packaging        11         9         12         10
      Total reportable segments        238       189        384        305
    Non-reportable segments             46        31         87         65
    Corporate and other
     unallocated items                 (37)      (27)       (70)       (57)
      Total segment income            $247      $193       $401       $313



               CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (CONDENSED & UNAUDITED)
                                  (in millions)
    June 30,                                        2008             2007
    Assets
    Current assets
      Cash and cash equivalents                     $311             $304
      Receivables, net                             1,085              993
      Inventories                                  1,325            1,162
      Prepaid expenses and other current assets      116               70
        Total current assets                       2,837            2,529

    Goodwill                                       2,266            2,236
    Property, plant and equipment, net             1,612            1,580
    Other non-current assets                         983              504
        Total                                     $7,698           $6,849

    Liabilities and shareholders'
     equity/(deficit)
    Current liabilities
      Short-term debt                                $78              $94
      Current maturities of long-term debt            29               40
      Other current liabilities                    2,090            1,911
        Total current liabilities                  2,197            2,045

    Long-term debt, excluding current maturities   3,692            3,567
    Other non-current liabilities and minority
     interests                                     1,606            1,569
    Shareholders' equity/(deficit)                   203             (332)

        Total                                     $7,698           $6,849



          Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Condensed & Unaudited)
                                  (in millions)

    Six months ended June 30,                          2008          2007

    Cash flows from operating activities
      Net income                                       $126          $109
      Depreciation and amortization                     109           112
      Other, net                                       (589)         (431)

        Net cash used for operating
         activities (A)                                (354)         (210)

    Cash flows from investing activities
      Capital expenditures                              (71)          (76)
      Other, net                                        (15)           54

        Net cash used for investing
         activities                                     (86)          (22)

    Cash flows from financing activities
      Net change in debt                                269           124
      Other, net                                          6            (5)

        Net cash provided by financing
         activities                                     275           119

    Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash
     equivalents                                         19            10

    Net change in cash and cash equivalents            (146)         (103)
    Cash and cash equivalents at January 1              457           407

    Cash and cash equivalents at June 30               $311          $304

(A) Free cash flow is defined by the Company as net cash used for operating activities less capital expenditures. A reconciliation from net cash used for operating activities to free cash flow for the six months ended June 30 follows:


    Six months ended June 30,                         2008              2007
    Net cash used for operating activities           ($354)            ($210)
    Capital expenditures                               (71)              (76)
    Free cash flow                                   ($425)            ($286)

SOURCE: Crown Holdings, Inc.